The 21st Sakura Health Marathon Race

Date: Sunday March 3, 2002 Weather: Cloudy & Cold

Location: Sakura City, Chiba Pref.


Details of Race

Race	Full	Time Limit	5h 00m	2,500 Runners
	10 km		1h 30m	2,500 Runners
Entry Fee	Yen 3,500
Contact	97 Kairinnji-cho, Sakura City 285-8501, Chiba Pref. Secretariat of Sakura Health Marathon Race TEL: 043-485-2929
Gift	T-shirt
Free Service	Hot Black Tea, Soy Bean Soup & Bread
Remarks	Free Shuttle Buses available from Keisei Sakura Station. Time Limit at 33 km point: 4 hours 30 minutes

IMAGES

 
Reception The entry of the ground T-shirt


Records

5 km	29 minutes
30 km	2 hours 48 minutes
35 km	3 hours 17 minutes
Goal	4 hours 00 minutes 09 seconds

Impression

• This is my first participation to Sakura Marathon Race although I once registered the race, but I could not join at that time.
• It was fine and warm on both Friday and Saturday. However, cold north wind started to blow from Saturday night.
• On Sunday, it turned to be winter again. Weatherman in the early morning said that it would be fine and occasinally cloudy with temperature up to 12 degrees Centigrade, which relieved me anyway.
• I left home at 6:00 AM. I took the train of Keisei Line for Sakura Station and arrived there around 8:00 AM.
• Immediately, I got on the free shuttle bus to Iwana Atheletic Ground.
• I reached the ground at 8:15 AM and waited for my running mates until 9:00 AM.
• Contrary to the weather forecast, it was still cloudy and cold. I shivered after I changed the wear owing to cold wind.
• The full marathon race started at 10:00 AM.
• I would say that the race was one of the coldest ones so far for me. (The temperature was 6 degrees Centigarade.)
• It was so cold that I was forced to go to the toilet frequently (Actually, I went into the bushes on the roadside!). I should have refrained from drinking at the water supply points.
• I once again competed with my running mate, Mr. N. At the initial stage, I could once pass him. However, while I was in the bushes for toilet, he passed me. Around 25 km point, I decided to speed up and shortly I caught up with him. Finally I passed him again just before 30 km point, then I continued to run as fast as possible to leave him. But again, I wanted to get into the bushes. To my regret, I was passed by him once more while I was in the bushes. I did not notice it until I finished and thus I was running on my own pace believing that he was behind me.
• The time at last 1 km point was 3 hours 54 minutes. I thought I might reach goal within 4 hours.
• However, just before arriving in the athletic ground, there was a short upward slope! I completely slowed down there.
• Just before 100 m to the goal, a man was shouting "Hurry up and you will finish within 4 hours!". I trusted him and rushed into the goal. To my regret, the goal time was 4 hours 9 seconds! I should have completed 10 seconds earlier!
• Owing to cold weather, I did not sweat so much and thus I did not feel exhausted this time even after the race.
• After finishing the race, we went to the family restaurant near Sakura Station. There were a few restautants and the restautant was so crowded with runners.
• Only draft beer was available there , because bottled beer had been already out of stock!
• I came back home around 7:00 PM. After taking bath, I celebrated my fourth completion of full marathon race in this season with beer and Sake by myself.
• Owing to strong wind, it seemed that a lot of cedar pollen were in the air. I heavily suffered from "Pollen allergy" in the next morning!

About the course

• After starting, you will come back to Keisei Sakura Station, then you will turn left and run alongside Keisei Line for a while. You will go into the course in the rice field and soon go around the Inbanuma-Lake. Finally you will come back to the reverse course in the initial stage.
• The course is almost flat except the first and last stages.
• You will see some unpaved roads in the course.
• You have to run upward slope at last 3 km point from Sakura Station. It's really hard!
• You will also experience last short upward slope just before athletic ground.
• There are 11 water supply points. (5 out of them, you can get bread.) Water and sports drink available.
• Distant indications were not enough.

Others

• The design of T-shirt is not acceptable for me. More sophisticated design should be applied.

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